Photo shoots might not be picture-perfect for the budget

When I sat for my high school senior picture nearly 30 years ago, I had one image in mind: a formal picture taken in a studio.

I wore my dressiest blouse and the background was recogniz­able as from the most popular portrait studio in town. It would serve both as my yearbook photo and the one I gave to friends. Even in the 1980s, those studio images were starting to fade in popular­ity as senior­year keepsakes. About half of my friends booked a second sitting, typically out­door scenes in a popular park, for the wallet­sized images to give away or place in graduation announce­ments. One of the memorable senior pictures from that time involved one of my friends posing with a playing card to illustrate his hobby doing magi­cian acts.

It still is possible to find photographers who can turn a studio pose into a beautiful portrait.

But as the Washington Post reported last fall, that’s not what many high school seniors or parents expect these days. Senior pictures have morphed beyond the required yearbook pose and casual outdoor scenes my class­mates preferred into something equivalent to a fashion shoot. I’ve seen numerous examples of students pictured with sports trophies and musical instru­ments. Some studios promote packages that include family group photos. Last year at this time, I saw a couple of high school students posing as if they were magazine models on the sidewalks of downtown Monroe.

Whether today’s extended portrait sessions are requested by parents who expect this is the last such opportunity for awhile, students who want to pres­ent more personality than the typical yearbook pose allows or photographers looking to upsell a client really doesn’t matter. The result is higher cost to families because of more time needed for photo sessions, a wider variety of photos to pick from and more prints purchased.

This expense also coincides with a year that includes other big-ticket items, such as prom dresses, graduation parties and perhaps a class ring purchase.

As a result, chatter goes up on Facebook and parenting bulle­tin boards that the professional pictures were beautiful but cost more than the family expected.

That’s why before you book an extended photo session, you need to take a realistic look at your own budget. If you want a wide-ranging collection of professional photos for whatever reason, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you have the money for an “above-and­beyond” expense.

But if you don’t have the mon­ey or the interest in showcasing photographic art in frames or fancy albums, then hire the per­son whose talents and suggested photo packages better match what you actually will purchase.

I don’t regret turning down the optional outdoor shoot for my senior pictures. After all, I got the image I had in mind — the one that said definitively, “This is Paula’s senior portrait.”

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